spicy food

As we approach the first official day of Fall, I’m beginning to roll up my sleeves to dive into some of my favorite fall dishes. Hearty stews and roasted vegetables rule the season. This Chicken or Veggie Tikka Masala is an excellent stand-alone staple for your recipe book. When I first began making this dish I used this recipe from Bon Appétit. Over the years I’ve modified the recipe to what I’ll share today.

My Veggie Tikka Masala tends to be on the spicier side. As such, feel free to decrease the red chili flakes as needed to suit your tastes. As a general rule, Chicken Tikka Masala should have some kick to it though. If you don’t care about the carbs and choose not to do a cauliflower rice a Basmati rice would be a great traditional option to serve with this dish. You could even put a European twist on it by serving it over mashed potatoes. However, you choose to enjoy this dish, make sure to make enough to share!

Enjoy this Veggie Tikka Masala!

Chicken or Veggie Tikka Masala

Ingredients

3 tbsp. minced garlic, finely grated

3 tsp. finely grated ginger

2 tsp. ground turmeric

2 tsp. garam masala

1 tsp. ground coriander

2 tsp. ground cumin

1½ cups regular yogurt

3 tbsp. salt

2 pounds skinless, boneless chicken breast pieces and/or two heads of cauliflower (one head you'll use for a low-carb rice which will serve about two people. I recommend making new cauliflower rice as opposed to reheating it).

3 tbsp. unsalted butter

1 small onion, thinly sliced

3 large carrots, sliced

1 28-oz. can of garbanzo beans, drained

1/3 cup tomato paste

1 tbsp. crushed red pepper flakes

1 tbsp. curry powder

40 oz. diced canned tomatoes

1 cup heavy cream

1 cup greek yogurt

¾ cup chopped fresh cilantro plus sprigs for garnish

Instructions

1

Mix all of your spices together, omitting the curry powder and leaving 2 tbsp. salt to the side for later. Add your ginger and garlic and mix well.